National Donate Life Month

Carol Romanoff April 7, 2014

Spring has been slow to arrive this year. It feels like we have been waiting a long time for the winter to end and for warm weather to arrive. We wait for many things, but nothing compares to the wait being endured by 122,000 people waiting for a life saving organ transplant. Being on the wait list means not knowing whether a donated organ will be received in time.

I was reminded of the issue of waiting while visiting with a sculptor in his studio a few months ago, I was moved by this piece, Waiting for News. Christopher E. Green captures what it is like for family members to wait for news while a loved one is receiving critical care. From the moment I saw it, I felt the emotion he portrays about his experience in a hospital waiting room. “We were all waiting for news of our love ones...Waiting for News attempts to convey the emotion of those that were in limbo, not knowing whether their news would be good or bad. Not knowing which way their emotions would go.”

My family knows this experience well. My husband Howard was diagnosed with Ideopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, an illness with no known cause and no known cure. We were told he had 5 years, at which point, he would be a candidate for a life-saving lung transplant. I wrote about this in a previous blogpost, now, I will emphasize that it is 2 1/2 years later, and we are grateful every day to his organ donor for providing him with a second chance at life. His story, and more about organ donation are on our organization’s site, Share Life.

Last spring at our Inaugural Event for Share Life, we featured the photography of Stuart Zaro, particularly this image, Waiting. This photo, taken in Grand Central Terminal, became a symbol of the long and emotional wait sick patients endure while waiting for a transplant.

When I make studio visits, I am drawn to artwork in the colors of Donate Life, the national organization that promotes the issue. April is National Donate Life Month, and groups around the country promote all things blue and green, colors that signify life and health. This Friday, April 11th is National Blue and Green Day.

Romanoff Elements, along with Share Life, supports the efforts of the New York Organ Donor Network, the New York City based Organ Procurement Organization that coordinates organ donations within New York State. Each donor can potentially save 8 lives and impact up to 50 lives with their organs and tissue. A portion of proceeds of RE sales this month will go towards the NYODN’s work. The artists I work are supportive of this issue as well. I’ve included a few blue and green artworks, prints, paintings, photographs and paintings, inspired by nature in shades of blues and greens.

Photographer Nancy Woodward captured this springtime image, First Day of May, while shooting in the woods, she looked up and “saw the canopy of skies in the afternoon sky”. The image is about light and blue and green and spring all at once!

In True Blue, painter Anne Raymond's vivid colors are inspired by the beauty around her Hamptons' studio.

I love the blues in John Duckworth's abstract photographic landscape, Bohicket Creek. It captures the serene beauty of the South Carolina coast, the ocean, sky and horizon.

This is one of Artist Kerri Rosenthal's paintings with "happy colors", 20/20 Vision, like many of her abstract paintings are filled with exuberant colors and combinations

I extend my appreciation to each of them for allowing me to show their work. I am equally appreciative to those artists I have worked with over time, for being supportive of my family and me as we go through this journey. Please browse artwork here, on the RE site, Facebook and in our gallery. Be in touch if you have any questions.

The wait for spring seems to finally be behind us. We can personally say that my husband's wait is also over, but we think about the 122,000 in the US and over 10,000 in NYS who are waiting for life-saving transplants. If interested in more information about organ donation, or to register to be a donor, please go to ShareLifeNY.org or DonateLife.net to find your state’s registry.

Thank you!

Color // Warm Winter Blues

Carol Romanoff January 22, 2014

Blue, in all of its variations is the most embraced color. It runs from soft and powdery to rich cobalt to intense midnight. Interesting, that it conveys warmth, trust and calm and then also references the darker “winter blues”, in part due to winter’s more somber mood, shorter days with less light.

As I look outside at a late afternoon winter sky, there’s a beautiful blue mixed with rose but it’s darkened by the bare trees, similar to the sky in Elena Lyakir’s, Dream of Flying

Artists have always been inspired by nature, and attempt to capture the essence of what they see and feel from it’s colors and beauty. Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, a series of 250 paintings of his famous gardens at Giverny, is a striking artwork illustrating this. The Clouds, 1920–1926 installation at the Musee de l’Orangerie in Paris provides an all-encompassing view of the stunning blue canvases

Muse_e_Orangerie_Nymphe_as_panorama_5_02_13_3_Sophie_Boegly

The blues of winter range in depth and hue. Westport, from Elisa Keogh's Horizons Series has rich red blues contrasted with a golden light.

Anne Raymond’sJanuary Blue Series combines similar deep blues with greener warm tones of teal. I talked recently with Anne about her inspiration, always from nature, “The refracted light of winter and the movement in the gorgeous forest where I work are both visual inspiration in this series. The branches move swiftly sealing in my memory their momentary energy.” Two paintings from the series; January Blue lV and January Blue l

I often reference Wolf Kahn, Dark and Deep is one of his beautiful works using a blue palette

Blue, from the Color Block Series by Shelli Breidenbach are softer, reflecting her response to the ocean. “The Color Block Series is a … true abstract landscape photograph, inspired by the early morning hues of Sag Harbor Bay. The challenge has been to capture the integrity and tranquility of the water without compromising it … in hues that suggest simplicity, elegance, and an understated emotion."

The grayer blues of Predator Views, by Andrea Bonfils, a mixed media painting captures the starkness of winter.

AB.Predator's View.oil and encaustic_72"x36":SOLD

Blue has cultural references that have to do with melancholy. One explanation for the term ‘feeling blue’ dates back to the ‘blue devil’ in the 17th century. Songwriters use this symbolism when they ‘sing the blues’. January and the cold, dark months to come are cause for the “winter blues”. The Blues, from Elena Lyakir

Interesting that even with this ‘dark’ side, blue is the most popular color. It also has it’s ‘light’ side; the sea, the sky and with it the intangible references of warmth, trust, loyalty, authority and more. I took a quick look through Pinterest at the blue boards - it seemed endless. There are pins of blue flowers, fish, food, home furnishings, fashion, a bit of everything.

The blues in winter are more serene, and darker. Kerri Rosenthal known for her exuberant use of color, especially bright color, also captures the more somber mood of winter, “Color is everywhere for me, but in winter I tend to see and paint in washed down tones." From her Puzzle Moderne Series, Recharge

"Everything seems a bit out of focus, this is reflected in my wintry paintings…muted, cold, snowy, foggy scapes.” Stormy Sunday No.2

The soft blue I saw in the late afternoon light when I started this post, has now deepened in the early evening to a rich slate blue that rivals any summer sky. The dark evening sky of Stuart Zaro's, Crescent Moon, Blue Sky from The Nighlight Series.

Winter stays around a little too long for me, but I enjoy it’s warm colors, mellower moods and the artwork it inspires while it’s here…

It’s a New (art) World // art & Amazon

Carol Romanoff December 11, 2013

"Amazon prides itself on disrupting the traditional way of doing things". This was Charlie Rose's introduction to his recent 60 Minutes interview with Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon. The question many in the art world are asking is whether Amazon will disrupt the way business has traditionally been done in their industry.

dis·rupt \dis-ˈrəpt\: to cause (something) to be unable to continue in the normal way : to interrupt the normal progress or activity of (something)

The fact that this question is being asked seems to tell the answer. Since the launch of Amazon Art in August there has been lots of conversation, pro and con as to whether the world's largest online retailer can be successful selling art.

Since its launch in August this year, Amazon Art quickly became the largest global art seller. According to a New York Times article, Art Collections a Click Away, they launched with “180 galleries worldwide on their site, offering for sale over 43,000 artworks from 4,500 artists…to their 100 million customers in North America and 225 million customers worldwide.” Selling art in the same way they sell books and toothpaste presents the question of how it will be perceived, and whether it will be successful.

The NYTimes quoted Art Tactic, referencing their survey of galleries, they found that “89% of those surveyed sold art online”. This is not new, it’s just being exploded on a large scale by Amazon.

Giving the Gift of Art, a recent Wall Street Journal article details the numerous art sellers offering art for this holiday season ranging from an $18.00 Andy Warhol soup can puzzle to an $18,000 Warhol screen print. On Amazon, there are Warhol's listed for up to 35 million dollars!Romanoff Elements evolved from an interest to make art more “accessible” - to create an ease for buying art and to bring art to where the customers are. Time is a valuable commodity, and many are not interested in spending theirs browsing galleries and art fairs. Even for those who love art, they may not choose to spend much time shopping for it. It makes sense. Shopping for art online doesn't take away from the galleries and fairs, in fact, it has the potential to create new art customers, and more possibilities for collectors.

Naysayers talk about the importance of seeing art in person, the relationship with the dealer and learning about the artist and artwork. All of this can be done with online conversation and discussion. Criticism is often focused at the highest end of the art market. Yet, according to Business Insider, “Out of some 40,000 items (listed on Amazon), including thousands of original works — 18,000 are under $1,000 and 29,000 are under $5,000”. The focus is not on the much discussed 1941 Norman Rockwell’s painting, “Willie Gillis: Package From Home” listed for $4.85 million, rather on those items listed for under $5,000.

The question of how an artwork is represented by it’s photo is a good one. Can the color, depth and texture be fully appreciated on a two-dimensional screen? A part of Amazon’s disruptive behavior is to guarantee returns within 30 days. Individual galleries have varying policies regarding this, but the artwork can go back. This eliminates a lot of uncertainty.

The presentation of art on Amazon has been criticized for not being “upscale," not being “refined” as it should be for the creative process of looking at and buying art. Business Insider addresses what it does right though, “The real upside of shopping on Amazon for art…is how user friendly it is: You can search by color, size, price, and even subject.” Other art sites, it claims, are not as, “inherently easy to navigate.” Again,Amazon can apply its successful formula to yet another category.

When you browse through photography, you can select an image, the size of the image, and the matte and framing options

and you can see how the artwork will look to scale in a roomAmazon, a data-driven business entered online art selling because they established the growth potential among their customers. Bezos described their "consumer centricity… that they don't want to erode the (consumer) trust" to Rose in the December 1st interview. If anyone can be responsive and create a way to sell art online, Amazon will. They will respond to feedback, take their time and thoughtfully develop a way to serve their market.

They are working to ‘de-mystify’ the process. The dealers and galleries that have joined the site, sell their work elsewhere, but agree that Amazon can help reach many more (millions) of customers than they can through more traditional channels. Stephen Tanenbaum, Co-Founder of UGallery told Business Insider, "We sold a piece of art to Germany this morning and another one to California…As word starts to get out, I think people are giving it a shot."

Romanoff Elements is “giving it a shot” also. We look forward to the potential of attracting new buyers from throughout the world. Please visit our gallery on Amazon Art, scroll through and experience this new (and disruptive) art shopping and buying experience.

Orange // & the Natural Beauty of Fall

Carol Romanoff October 29, 2013

It's been a spectacular fall, the weather and the colors of this season seem far more intense than in recent years. The natural beauty has been the topic of many conversations, Instagram pics and Facebook posts recently, so before it’s gone, I want to share some thoughts on the colors, and the beauty of autumn. Artist Andrea Bonfils captures the season's colors and texture in a combination of oil and encaustic wax. Falling Leaves, from her Nature in Wax Collection,

Orange is the color mostly associated with fall, mixed with the many hues of yellows, to golds to browns. A recent Sunday morning walk revealed all of these colors, contrasted with the incredible rich colors and reflections in the lake at a friend’s picturesque Northern Westchester home

Artists have always been inspired to capture this natural beauty. I love how Wolf Kahn expresses nature in his work, Orchard Patch is his view of fall,

Orange is named for the fruit, but has come to mean many things, different in various cultures. In a recent yoga class, my yogi talked about the 2nd chakra, as the source of creativity. In another breath, she, like so many of my friends referenced the incredible colors around her during her morning walk, "there is orange everywhere -- like the trees are on fire"

Many Masters have been known for their use of orange, among them Gaugin, van Gogh and here is Venice Twilight, by Monet

Octave is one of Anne Raymond's orange canvases, inspired by the natural colors near her Hamptons home,

Color consultant and Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, Leatrice Eiseman, explained the choice of orange last year as Pantone’s Color of the Year 2012, as “a spirited reddish orange...continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward.” Orange feels that way, it has energy.

I have described Kerri Rosenthal's color-filled paintings as happy and full of life - an example is Nice 2

It's a classic color, it works as a beautiful contrast to quieter shades. Orange has become syononomous with the luxury retailer, Hermes.

A search of "Hermes Orange" brought up 62,110 posts on the home decoration and renovation site Houzz!

Orange as a fashion statement has found its way into popular culture this season. The name of the new series, “Orange is the New Black” has started a marketing trend, being used as a reference in interior design and fashion and I imagine in other fields as well.

In the NYTimes Style section last month, Bill Cunningham captured Le Grande Orange

Elle Decor referenced it recently, about the a pair of vintage Italian armchairs upholstered in pumpkin orange leather, in designer Cynthia Frank's Southampton home

And of course, this week is Halloween...a celebration of fun and scary things, all in orange and black. Feng Shui, attributes orange and black used together for the holiday because they are on the opposite ends of the energy spectrum. “Orange is a very lively and happy color, the color of fall bounty and the warmth of fire, it is often called the ‘social color’. Whereas black reflects mystery and void, the color of a space with no beginning and no end, filled with mystery, it holds the energy of power and protection.”

Photographer Elisa Keogh captures this contrast in Norwalk, CT orange-black,

and how fun is Tiffany’s "Spooktacular" wink in this past Sunday's NYTimes?

The leaves are starting to fall, it ‘s time, it was a beautiful and long fall season, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did...

Happy Halloween!

Color First // Creative Kerri Rosenthal

Carol Romanoff September 25, 2013

I want what she’s having...and what artist Kerri Rosenthal is having is a serious dose of creative fun that’s making her and her client’s happy. While talking to Kerri about her work, her inspiration and her process, I smiled because her “happy” talk is contagious. And her paintings exude the same positive energy that she does.

I met Kerri a bit over a year ago after we both installed artwork at Nest Inspired Home, a home furnishing retailer in Rye, NY. I realized I was familiar with her work, I had seen it at several Connecticut stores that have been steadily selling her work, work that’s defined by color and energy.

She has been painting for only 5 years, and in that time she has established a strong following in and around her local Fairfield, CT home and studio and well beyond, throughout the country. I was curious to learn how she managed to do this so quickly and beome a “go to” source for many interior designers and clients.

Kerri’s Pinterest page has over 3500 followers, that’s an impressive following for an independent artist, and she sells her paintings to fellow 'pinners'. Her presence in the design world has evolved into a thriving interior design business as well. She infuses her interiors with the same sense of color and pattern, sometimes bold, sometimes quiet, as her canvases.

Early on, after studying fashion and merchandising at NYU, Kerri’s creative interests were focused on fashion. She spent a few impressionable years with the Oilily, a Dutch apparel company that was synonymous with exuberant color and pattern. Time spent traveling throughout Europe and in their “creative and color-infused headquarters" in the Netherlands had a lasting impact.

After a break to have her 3 children, a random dinner out provided a spark of inspiration that created a new future for Kerri. Sitting in a restaurant one night, Kerri was moved by some beautiful paintings on exhibit. The next day, she bought her first paintbrush and supplies to try to recreate what she saw. She hasn't stopped painting since! She is self-taught - something that allows her the freedom to grow as an artist, without limitations.

Inspiration comes to Kerri from a myriad of places. A serious book collector, Kerri’s many art & design books provide endless pages of ideas.

The exposure at Oilily re-surfaced along with other influences on her color and style; artists Wolf Kahn, abstract expressionists Willem deKooning, and Helen Frankenthaler, various Impressionist painters and recently artist Cecily Brown. Kerri added that it's are way more, a Vogue fashion spread, a piece of jewelry or the natural beauty of outdoors can just as easily inform the colors and direction of her work.

I asked Kerri why she thought people respond so positively and immediately to her work. Color is the basis of her paintings and interiors, “Color speaks to me, when it's right, the colors dance, they sing and give you an incredible feeling, like a feeling of first love”. She talks about our sensory gut reactions to color, people's need for color. The color in her work comes from deep within, it makes her happy, and others in turn, tell Kerri, that her paintings make them happy.

Many of Kerri's clients have multiple pieces. The variety of her work has allowed collectors to buy from a few to up to 30 pieces!

It's fascinating to me to watch people react to color, to literally see a beautiful flower, a sunset or piece of art that makes them smile. I have written in this blog about specific colors, their meaning and why and how certain colors appeal. I see it with Kerri's work, from her soft, moody landscapes with subtle color, appropriate for a candle-lit dining room or quiet corner,

to her brighter, more vibrant work, suitable for kids rooms and family-centered spaces

or used as an accent, in a foyer

or a beautiful vignette.

even when she paints with black, Kerri adds white for contrast to create movement and energy.

So, I’ll take what Kerri’s having...she’s energized by creating her paintings, and thrilled that her clients and collectors fill their homes with her work. She has found “it”, an elusive, and very personal factor that drives her creativity to produce work that makes people smile. Kerri calls it the “happy factor”.

Please join us this weekend for a trunk show at Spruce at Mariani Gardens in Armonk, NY, Sat and Sun 11-3. Stop in to see Kerri’s color-infused paintings firsthand!